Point of View: Rangar
We were about to leave the class when the Guardian's voice stopped us.
"Wait."
We all turned at the same time. His expression was calm—too calm.
"For now, this concludes the lessons. If you have questions, the System will answer them. Your authority as users will be elevated."
I frowned.
"Is there something else?"
His gaze swept across the group.
"Tomorrow, changes will be activated in the System."
The atmosphere grew heavier.
He raised one finger.
"Skills will disappear."
A thick silence fell over us.
"But do not worry," he continued. "The corresponding Arts will appear in the library."
Xyra stepped forward.
"Why would they disappear?"
I wanted to know as well. Without my skills, my combat power would plummet. I glanced at the others; everyone shared the same concern.
"They have already fulfilled their purpose," he replied calmly. "Now that Arts are available, skills are redundant."
He raised a second finger.
"Professions will become available to everyone. You will be able to choose from the options offered by the System."
Sylvanas spoke, confused.
"I thought only Primordials had access to professions."
The Guardian shook his head slightly.
"You were the first. You demonstrated their usefulness."
He looked at each of us.
"Tomorrow another altar will appear in Dalaran. The Altar of Professions. There you will choose what suits you best."
Then Sylvanas' voice changed. It became sharp.
"Are you telling me… my people were part of an experiment?"
The air tensed instantly.
If he had experimented with the Primordials… had he done the same with my race?
A growl escaped my throat before I could stop it.
"Guardian… are you experimenting on our races?"
His smile vanished.
"You are misunderstanding me."
Sylvanas' eyes shone with killing intent.
"Am I?"
He looked at us with absolute coldness.
"I experiment on all beings of this planet. I am the Guardian. My only duty is to protect the core."
The weight of his words fell like a slab of stone.
Lysara looked at him with contempt.
"Do you think we are your toys?"
The pressure descended instantly.
The air thickened. My knees trembled. Five Arts shone around the Guardian. We couldn't move. Barely breathe.
His footsteps echoed as he approached.
"You have no idea what I face," he said in a low voice. "I fight battles you could never understand."
Each step made space itself vibrate.
"You live like this because I contain what seeks to destroy us."
He stopped in front of us.
"In my eyes, only those who contribute to the cause deserve benefits. The rest… are resources if their sacrifice strengthens the whole."
The pressure vanished.
I fell to my knees, gasping for air.
Lysara didn't look away.
"You speak of justice… but you're a hypocrite."
He tilted his head slightly.
"Why?"
"You manipulated us into joining the Prometheus Project."
"I manipulated, yes," he replied without emotion. "But I did not force you. I warned you of the risks. You accepted."
None of us could refute that.
Sylvanas stepped forward.
"Even so, you experimented on my race."
The Guardian looked directly at her.
"At that time, they had contributed nothing. I needed to demonstrate the potential of professions. In any other race, the non-combatants would have died."
I couldn't deny that.
In my case… we would have devoured them.
Xyra spoke, calmer than the rest.
"And the Prometheus Project? Isn't it also an experiment to turn us into weapons?"
"You are letting your emotions guide you, Xyra," he replied. "You, more than anyone, should understand."
Lysara frowned.
"What do you mean?"
He looked at all of us.
"Xyra's children possess neither minds nor wills of their own. Since the tribulation increased in difficulty, none of them have managed to ascend. Even when she pays to reduce it."
Xyra lowered her gaze.
"That's true… is there a solution?"
"Yes," the Guardian said. "But first you must understand why I stopped you."
The world changed.
We appeared in space, surrounded by stars.
Before us, a legendary elf fought against a legendary orc. Both were the same level. Their powers were equal. The battle was perfectly balanced.
"It is extremely difficult for two legendary beings of the same level to kill each other," the Guardian explained.
The fight continued without any clear advantage.
"But when I developed professions… I discovered something unexpected."
Suddenly, the elf's energy circles detached from his body and flowed into his weapon.
They fused with it.
The sword changed.
The balance shifted.
Each strike from the elf began to overpower the orc. Not by a large margin… but by a small, cumulative advantage.
And that difference was enough.
The orc fell.
Silence filled the void.
The Guardian spoke, a strange glimmer in his eyes.
"I call it… Convergence."
He looked at us.
"The total unification of power. Body, mind, soul, and profession aligned into a single point."
Space distorted once more.
"And I wish to offer you this power."
A chill ran down my spine.
I didn't know what was more dangerous.
The Guardian…
Or what he was willing to turn us into.